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Helen Backwards

For those that don't know, I've been a photographer since I was 15. I was a photographer long before I was a graphic designer. Photography has always been my first love.

A friend of mine (Jordy Pants) has decided to explore photography in-depth. Her explorations have inspired me to think about my own photography. Sadly, I have not been an active photographer since the fateful Summer of '06. My trusty Nikon D70 and matching lenses disappeared while at sporting event. The experience left me incredibly disheartened about my photography. I took it as a sign that I was not meant to be a photographer any longer and didn't have the inclination to replace my equipment. Recently, I've been rethinking that outlook. To motivate myself, I've been digging through my photo archives and I thought I'd share some tidbits of my photographer past.

This is Neleh Sawsiengmongkol
Neleh (pronounced: Nellie or Nel-E-ah) was my wedding photographer. She has a great site - www.helenbackwards.com. You can see some of her fantastic photographs in my previous post recapping my wedding.

Here we are hamming it up at the end of my reception. Don't we both look exhausted?
Long before she was Neleh S. - photographer, she was...

Neleh B. - photographer's model

This photo of her was taken circa 1999 when I was taking a studio lighting class. Our relationship as photographer and model actually went back to her days as a High School Junior. It's hard for me to believe, but I've known her that long.

Here's a contact sheet of her getting ready for prom. I can't remember if it was for her prom or her then-boyfriend Edgar's prom. These photos were taken in 1995.
Just click on the image to enlarge this contact sheet. If you look carefully, you can see her older brother Mike, my then-boyfriend, carefully watching the proceedings.

This is one of the last shoots I did with her and another "ghost of boyfriends past". I really adore these. These were taken towards the end of my studio lighting class in 2000. I loved these photos so much that I had copies framed in my apartment for years. This reminds me of how much I really loved playing around with studio lights.
It's funny to think that our creative relationship has come full circle. We have had our ups and downs, but it's good to know that we're still friends.

1 more coherent thought(s):

MissJordyPants said...

Go out, get a camera and play with me!

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